


Closeted

by stilinski_wolf



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Bartender!Stiles, Closeted!Derek, Coming Out, Derek's family finds out, Derek's family is changed (to horrible assholes) for this prompt, Happy Ending, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Homophobic Slurs, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 04:43:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7603873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stilinski_wolf/pseuds/stilinski_wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek is part of a very rich, very conservative - and very homophobic - family, and so he has to hide who he truly is from them. </p><p>And then, Derek takes a liking to the new bartender working at the gay bar he frequents, and contemplates coming out to his family.</p><p>But his choice is taken out of his hands when his sister Cora follows him one night to the gay bar, changing Derek's life irrevocably.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This was written after I was given this prompt:
> 
> _(If you're even still doing prompts?)Closeted!Derek falling for Stiles._

Derek tried to be discreet, tried to keep his face hidden as he crossed the street and then walked down the block to the end where the bar was.

Before he opened the door, he looked left and right, saw no one watching him, and slipped inside.

He always felt nervous stepping into this bar, always wanted to walk right back out the minute he walked in. But he always stopped himself.

As Derek slipped off the hat he’d been wearing, as well as the scarf, Derek turned, took a look around for a seat.

Seeing a few empty bar stools, Derek blew out a sigh of relief and walked over to one, setting his hat and scarf down next to him. Seeing as the bar had just opened about an hour ago, the place wasn’t exactly hopping with activity yet.

There were a few guys dancing on the dance floor, and a few others scattered around at the tables and booths, and one guy sat at the very end of the bar from Derek, but that was about it. 

This is how Derek liked it, why he came early. He could maybe meet a guy here, take him home, have a quickie and then send him on his way. He didn’t like big crowds too much, and sometimes he didn’t meet anyone at all to take home, and waited until it got crowded, and then left. 

There was only so much chatter and loud noise Derek could take. 

The bartender was currently facing away from Derek, washing some glasses, and Derek cleared his throat to get the guys attention.

When he turned around, Derek’s breath caught in his throat.

“Hi, what can I get for ya?” The guy said, walking down to Derek’s end and stopping in front him, setting the glass he’d been cleaning aside.

The guy was, in a word, gorgeous. He had this amazing light brown eyes that looked almost gold in the low bar lights, he had a cute, slightly upturned nose, gorgeous full lips that Derek instantly wanted to kiss, and a scattering of moles along the side of his face leading down to his neck. And he had long, soft looking brown locks that Derek wanted to tug on.

“Um, I’ll just have a beer, thank you,” Derek said, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

“Coming right up, big guy,” The guy smiled, moving over to get his beer, and Derek should have hated the guy calling him that. He should have. But he didn’t. He liked it. 

And he instantly imagined him calling him “big guy” while he was taking off Derek’s pants.

“There you go.” The bartender sat his beer down and Derek smiled gratefully.

“Um, are you new here?” Derek blurted out as he was lifting his glass to take a sip.

The guy kept smiling, but furrowed his brow as he asked, “Yeah I am, why do you ask?”

“Nothing. I just…haven’t seen you here before,” Derek shrugged sheepishly, giving him a small smile.

“Come here a lot?” The guy asked softly, his face melting into a soft smile that left Derek week at the knees.

“Um. I…not so…I just…sometimes.” Derek stumbled over his words, looking down quickly and taking a big gulp of his beer. 

“Let me guess. None of your family or friends know about it," The guy said quietly.

Derek snapped his head up to stare at him, his eyes wide and panicked.

“I’ve seen a lot of your type come in here, is all,” The guy shrugged, walking over to the glass he’d been cleaning and continuing his task.

Derek swallowed past the lump in his throat as he looked down at his beer, and all of the sudden, he felt guilty, felt horrible, for not being out and proud. 

He’d never cared before, what other people had said when they’d found out he was in the closet and intended to stay that way. Usually, he just told himself, “fuck them. They don’t know anything about you or your life. What do they know?”

But this guy, the incredibly attractive bartender who already seemed like a nice guy, a cool guy, in just a few sentences, managed to make him feel that way. Make him feel like he should be out, that he shouldn’t care what other people think.

Because Derek already felt this incredibly pull towards him, already wanted to kiss him, hold him, fuck him.

Maybe even just walk down the street and hold his hand.

And Derek had never wanted to do that with any of the men he’d brought home before. Ever. 

But there was something about this guy - and fuck, Derek didn’t even know his name - that was just different. 

When said bartender came back a little while later to refill his drink and the place started to fill, Derek plucked up his courage to ask what his name was.

“So…what’s your name?” Derek tried to sound as casual as possible, crossing his arms against the bar top and leaning forward slightly.

“Stiles. Yours?" 

"Derek.” Derek held out his hand, and Stiles paused, looking up at Derek before he reached out and took Derek’s hand.

Derek found himself not wanting to let go. His hand was so warm and firm and it made Derek’s arm all…fuck, it made his arm all tingly. 

When they pulled back from the handshake, Derek let his fingers linger against Stiles’, let them brush his, and he saw Stiles’ eyes shutter and his cheeks go a little red. Derek wondered if he looked the same way.

“Nice to meet you,” Derek said throatily.

“You too,” Stiles smiled widely, and Derek knew he was fucking done for when that smile warmed his insides and made his pulse quicken. “Maybe I’ll be seeing you around here, then?" 

"Yeah,” Derek said breathily, nodding dumbly as Stiles smiled one more time and went to serve another customer. 

Derek didn’t pick up any guy that night, and when he entered his apartment alone, he found he didn’t care. 

All he could think about was Stiles, anyway.

=*=

It became a regular thing. 

Whenever Derek got off work, about four times a week he would head down to the bar, sit there and wait for Stiles to come over, and he was always there, without fail.

Some nights there was another bartender there as well, but Stiles always made sure to be the one serving Derek, greeting him with a smile and an easy start to a conversation. 

And Stiles was nice enough to never mention the hat and scarf Derek was wearing in the spring time in California.

Everyone at his work assumed he was straight. Derek wasn’t even sure they had any people who were out at his work. And the few times Derek made himself accept women asking him out on a date helped curb any rumors that might start if Derek never dated.

It also helped keep his family off his back as well.

Beacon Hills was a small city in California, and while it was mostly liberal, Derek’s family, however, was not. 

They were very rich, what his father liked to call “old money” and they lived on the outskirts of town in this big, beautiful house. 

And they didn’t think too well of gay people. 

He’d had enough lectures about it from his parents when he was younger to know that if he ever came out to them that they’d disown him, would never speak to him again, and be disgusted with his very existence. 

Derek didn’t want that. Because as frustrating as most of their political views were, and as much as it hurt Derek on their view of who he was, he still loved them. And he didn’t want them out his life at all. 

Because if he really started something with Stiles like he wanted to, then he knew he’d eventually have to come out, and that they’d hate him when he did. Just because he liked a guy in the romantic sense.

So Derek did nothing. Just enjoyed Stiles’ company, enjoyed talking to him and hearing him laugh, and laughing in turn at things Stiles said. 

Derek even found himself there on the nights he didn’t usually go there, just to see Stiles.

And whenever a guy came up to him and started flirting, Derek turned them down. Because the truth was, even though he was too scared to make a move, all he wanted was Stiles.

”So my buddy Scott was freaking out over meeting his girlfriend’s parents, and he was literally sweating through his clothes, it was hilarious. And he has this bottle of wine, right? So when he goes to hand it over, his hand is so sweaty that he drops it and smashes it at her father’s feet. Scott was mortified.” 

Derek laughed, shaking his head. “Wow, I can’t imagine.”

“Neither can I. But Allison was laughing when she told me. Said that her father just sighed and got stuff to clean it up with this annoyed look on his face.”

“So it didn’t go too well,” Derek assumed.

“Nah, it went fine except for that. Scott said her mother was terrifying though. Like her father was a cute little puppy compared to her,” Stiles said, shaking his head as he poured Derek more beer. 

“So I assume you’re not seeing anyone,” Derek said, and immediately regretted it when Stiles froze and looked up at Derek. “I-I mean, I just, I was just thinking, I mean I’m just…curious,” Derek finished lamely.

Stiles smiled and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the counter. “No, I’m not seeing anyone. You?”

“Um, no,” Derek shook his head. “Obviously,” Derek mumbled under his breath. 

Stiles furrowed his brow at that, but didn’t comment on it. “Why do you ask, Derek?”

Derek just shrugged, looking down at his beer, unable to answer.

“Did you want to be seeing me, perhaps?” Stiles asked quietly, and Derek looked up into Stiles’ eyes, got lost in them as they stared at each other longer than was probably necessary. 

Derek swallowed. “Maybe.”

Stiles smiled. “It’s okay to ask me out, you know.”

“That goes both ways, you know,” Derek said, slightly mocking Stiles, who just shrugged.

“True. But I can tell that we won’t get anywhere unless you make the first move. Or all the moves, really,” Stiles said.

“Oh? And why is that?” Derek leaned forward, resting his elbows on the bar top and resting his head in his hands. 

Stiles smirked, leaning forward into Derek’s space so that when he talked his breath fanned out over Derek’s lips and set his nerves alight. “Because you’re not out yet, Derek. You come in here everyday with a hat and a scarf on, and it’s almost summertime. You always look around like your expecting someone to pop out and yell ‘homo!’ at you when you come in. And I didn’t want to put myself out there when I knew you wouldn’t.” And with that, Stiles moved back, shrugging and moving on to another customer, leaving Derek to stare at nothing as he processed his words.

And Derek knew he was right. He knew what Stiles said was one-hundred percent the truth. 

But Derek couldn’t face his family, couldn’t face the rest of the town. Not yet. 

But he was ready to take that step with Stiles. To throw some caution to the wind and go for it. 

So Derek occupied himself with pool and darts and dancing that night until it was near closing time and Stiles was getting off his shift.

Derek walked up to the bar, saw that Stiles had already been staring at Derek intently. “Go out with me?” Derek asked, waiting for an answer on baited breath.

Stiles smiled softly, looking down at the ground shyly, his cheeks reddening before he looked up at Derek. “Will this date be in public?”

Derek froze, swallowing past the sudden lump in his throat. He opened his mouth to say yes, of course, it will be. But nothing came out. 

Stiles sighed, moved around the bar to Derek’s side and took his hand. “How about this. When you tell your family and friends, I’d love to go on a date with you.” 

Derek winced. “Stiles, look, you don’t understand.”

“Don’t I?” Stiles said with an inquisitive tilt of his head. “Last time I checked I was as gay as you are." 

"No, that’s not what I mean,” Derek shook his head. “My family, they’re…they wouldn’t-”

“Understand?” 

“That’s an understatement,” Derek huffed.

Stiles laughed softly, reaching up to cup the side of Derek’s face. Derek couldn’t help but lean into it, his eyes drooping at the sensation. 

“Derek,” Stiles sighed. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are who you are. And if your family has a problem with that, then you’re better off without them." 

Derek’s eyes snapped open, glaring at Stiles. “Oh yeah? And how did your family take it?” When Stiles paused, lowering his hand, Derek plowed on, getting all the answer he needed. “They took it well, didn’t they? You had their support and their love. Well, my family? They wouldn’t give me that. They would hate me. They wouldn’t speak to me, they wouldn’t even want to look at me.”

"How do you know that if you won’t tell them?” Stiles said a little desperately.

“Because, Stiles. I grew up with them always saying that homosexuality is a sin, that it’s wrong and impure, that it was God’s way of telling them who was good and who was evil. You have no idea what I’ve had to deal with all my life, so don’t preach to me when you know nothing about me,” Derek spat.

Stiles took a step back. “But I want to know you, Derek. I like you, a lot. But I won’t hide in that closet with you. I’ve been there before and I won’t go back in.” 

“Well I’m not ready to come out of it,” Derek said, leaning in close to Stiles’ face. 

“Then I guess we’re at an impasse,” Stiles said with a sigh, although his eyes went to Derek’s lips for a moment before looking back up at him. “Ask me out again when you’ve realized that it’s doesn’t matter what other people think of you.” With that Stiles brushed past Derek, and Derek closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. 

Grabbing his hat and scarf, Derek put them on before leaving the bar and heading toward his car parked on the side of the road. 

Derek only got about fifteen feet from the door when someone called to him by name. “Derek.”

He froze, not knowing what to do, what to say, if he should even acknowledge them or just keep walking. 

“Derek.”

Cora.

_Fuck._

Derek slowly turned around, pulling off his scarf as he did so. 

The look on her face said it all. There was shock, disbelief, disgust.

“Derek…what is this?” Cora said, walking forward one step and then stopping, gesturing back at the bar. The notorious gay bar of Beacon Hills. The one everyone knew was a gay bar without having to step foot inside.

Derek winced, looking away. “How did you find me, Cora?” Derek said instead of having to explain anything, talk about anything, admit to anything.

“I was wondering where you were going all these nights, because I have called you so many times over the past few months and you never answered, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I drove around town trying to find your Camaro. And I thought…fuck, I thought you were having an affair with some scandalous woman, some woman that the family wouldn’t approve of. And so I was going to warn you to stop, to put a rest to it before things got out of hand. I wasn’t expecting…this,” She spat, gesturing back at the bar once more.

Derek swallowed heavily, blinking his eyes past the tears forming in them, and remained silent. Silence was the best option here.

“I mean, god, Derek!” Cora shouted in distress, moving forward to stand a foot away from. “I never, in a million years, thought that you could be a _fag,_ ” Cora spat the word out like it disgusted her to even say it, to even think of it.

Derek closed his eyes. “Cora, I-“

"I saw you with that little twink in there, through the windows. I saw him cup your face and you _leaned into it,_ like you were the heroine in a romance novel. How could you…” Cora trailed off, looked at Derek as if she hardly knew him.

Derek squeezed his eyes shut. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t happening. Derek wasn’t ready for it to happen. He’d never be ready for it.

"You know what Mom and Dad are going to say about this, you know,” Cora said, and Derek froze, opened his eyes.

“Cora, no. Please don’t tell them. Please. I’m not ready for them to know. Please,” Derek pleaded, reaching for Cora’s arm.

But she jerked back before he could touch her. “Don’t touch me.” 

Derek’s arm froze in mid air, and he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

“I won’t do any favors for a fag, Derek. Even if he’s my brother,” Cora said, and turned to walk away. 

“No, please, wait.” Derek shot forward and caught her shoulder, and Cora whipped around, looking at Derek with what seemed to be pure hatred. 

“What did I just say?”

“Right. Sorry. I just…please, Cora. I can’t have them know. They would hate me as much as you hate me right now.” Derek felt tears fall down his cheeks, wiped at them quickly.

Cora leaned forward into Derek’s space, glared at him as she spat out, “Good.” 

Derek felt devastated. Felt his whole world crashing down around him. He felt more tears slip down his face as Cora looked at Derek as if he was nothing more than the gum on her shoe before she turned around.

“Wait just a minute.”

And both Derek and Cora froze as a new voice entered the conversation, and Derek turned to see Stiles standing there, anger marring his features.

“Great, it’s your boyfriend,” Cora said nastily, glaring at Stiles.

“Well, not yet,” Stiles smirked, and it was just as nasty and mean as Cora’s tone as Stiles walked over to them to stand next to Derek.

“Stiles, don’t,” Derek warned. “Just leave.”

“I don’t think I will, Derek,” Stiles said with a quick glance in Derek’s direction before he turned back to look at Cora. “Now, I couldn’t help but overhear the last part of your conversation as I was leaving work, and I’m sorry, but I just won’t stand by as you spew homophobic slurs at your own brother,” Stiles said, looking livid.

“This is none of your business, twinkie,” Cora snorted, rolling her eyes.

“Stiles, please,” Derek pleaded, wiping at his face as he felt more tears fall down his cheeks.

Stiles put a comforting hand to Derek’s arm as he shook his head. “No, Derek. I won’t allow you to be beaten down for being who you are.”

“It’s not who he is!” Cora shouted. “I know my brother and he isn’t a fucking fag.”

“No, he’s just attracted to men. That’s all,” Stiles stated simply.

“He’s an abomination,” Cora said. “And I don’t have to listen to your bullshit. I will tell Mom and Dad, Derek. I won’t keep your disgusting secret for you,” Cora sneered, and turned on her heel and started walking away.

“He’s not an abomination!” Stiles shouted, striding forward as she paused and turned around slowly. “You’re the abomination. You’re the one spouting bullshit. You’re the one who can’t open their eyes and see that there is nothing wrong with wanting to kiss or love who you want to, no matter their gender.” 

"You liberals and your agendas,” Cora chuckled. She looked over Stiles’ shoulder at Derek, one final look. “You’re no longer apart of the Hale family, Derek. I hope you know that.”

Derek felt the breath leave him as he crumpled in on himself, wrapping his arms around himself as felt the wind get knocked out of him at her words.

“He’s better off without you,” Stiles hissed. Cora just shot Stiles a long, hateful look before turning around one last time and walking away to leave Stiles staring after her and Derek barely able to see through his tears.

A few long moments passed as Derek started to get more and more worked up, felt it become harder to breathe. 

Stiles finally turned around, rushing to Derek and taking his face in his hands. “Shh, Derek. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.” Stiles rushed to say, wiping at his tears.

Derek shook his head, hiccuping, “N-No it won’t. I-it w-will never be okay.” 

“Yes. It will,” Stiles said, wrapping Derek up in a hug, not even letting go when Derek didn’t return it. “I will make sure of it.”

But Derek was too busy sobbing to answer. His life was over. His whole family would know by tomorrow, and by then Derek wouldn’t even have a family anymore. He’d be disowned, hated.

Stiles held on, even tightened his arms when Derek sobbed harder. And the whole time he just kept saying that it would be okay, that Stiles wasn’t going anywhere, that Stiles would help Derek get through this.

Eventually, Derek calmed down enough that Stiles pulled back and offered Derek a ride home, and all Derek could do was nod in acceptance.

Derek could barely get the directions to his apartment out through tears and snot and he had to clear his throat a few times to speak properly. Other than that, the ride was silent, even though Stiles reached over to take Derek’s hand in his.

Stiles even rubbed his thumb over the back of Derek’s hand soothingly, and it made Derek feel just a little bit better.

When they made it to his apartment, Stiles helped him up to his door, and then he asked Derek it was okay to come in, and Derek only nodded.

Stiles told Derek to get into his pajamas, that sleep and a glass of water was the best thing for him.

Stiles knocked on his bedroom door softly a few minutes after Derek had changed, and when he opened it, it was to Stiles standing there with a glass of water in his hand a small, tentative smile on his face. “Hi.”

Derek tried to smile back. “Hi.”

“May I come in?” Stiles asked, and Derek nodded, stepping back into the room and over to his bed.

As Derek got under the covers, Stiles handed Derek the glass of water and then sat down on the side of the bed.

Derek took a big gulp of water before setting it down on his bedside table and laying down, staring at his ceiling. But then he felt Stiles hand comb through his hair, and looked over at him.

“How you doin’?” Stiles asked softly, reaching his hand down to cup Derek’s face once more and rub his thumb against his cheek. It felt so good, made Derek feel better. 

Derek shrugged. It made him feel better, but not right, not good. “Not so great.” 

Stiles sighed. “Yeah, I figured.” He then reached down and took Derek’s hand in his, bringing it up to lace their fingers together. They both stared at their entwined fingers as the silence grew. 

Stiles, of course, was the one to break it.

“I’m sorry.”

Derek looked up at Stiles in surprise. “For what?”

“For demanding you come out to your family before we could go out on a date. I shouldn’t have done that,” Stiles said, his brow furrowing in anger, probably at himself, as he continued to look at their hands. “I didn’t know it was that bad.”

Derek snorted. “Stiles, Cora is the nice one of the family.”

Stiles winced, looking slowly up at Derek. “If that’s the case, then you really are better off without them.”

Derek shook his head. “No. They’re usually really great people. And I love them. They’re my family, after all. They just…”

“They’re homophobic, Derek,” Stiles said softly. “You don’t need that in your life. Those words your sister said to you tonight. They were…pretty horrible." 

Derek swallowed. “I know. But I know I’ll miss my family. If you keep politics out of conversations with them, they’re really great people.”

Stiles snorted. “Unfortunately being gay is a political issue. Even though it shouldn’t be, because it’s who we are. Being who you are should never be a political issue.” 

"Yeah,” Derek sighed, looked off to the side. He was miserable, would probably be miserable for a very long time. 

Stiles sighed. “I should let you sleep now. I’ll be on the couch if you need anything, okay?”

“Wait, what?” Derek said as Stiles stood up, pulled his hand out of Derek’s. Derek tried to ignore how cold his hand felt now.

“I’m not leaving you to deal with all this alone, Derek. You don’t deserve that,” Stiles said, backing up toward the door.

“Stiles, if you’re here when they come in the morning - which they will - that will only make everything worse,” Derek said frantically, pulling his covers back to stand up.

Stiles shook his head. “I can handle it.”

“Stiles, no.” Derek stood up, walked over to Stiles. “You have to leave. If you’re here when they come, they’ll destroy you, too. And you don’t deserve that. They aren’t your family.”

“Derek.” Stiles walked up to Derek. “I really, really fucking like you. A lot. I want to go out with you, become your boyfriend, see what happens, where things go with us. I’m not going to run away. Besides, it’ll be better to deal with your family now than later on down the road.”

“Stiles,” Derek pleaded, shaking his head and looking down at the ground. “I already told you Cora was the nice one. My parents? My other siblings? My uncle? They are worse. They will tear you down, tear me down. It will be ugly. I just know it will." 

"And I will be right by your side,” Stiles said in a steady voice, tilting Derek’s face up by taking his chin in his hand. 

Derek sighed, closing his eyes. “It’s way too early for you do the whole ‘meet the family’ thing. We haven’t even gone on a first date.”

Stiles shrugged. “So what. We’ll deal with your mean family and then we’ll go out on a date not be scared of having to deal with the whole coming out thing.” 

Derek was still skeptical. Just imagining what his family would do or say tomorrow had Derek on the verge of panicking, but Stiles looked so sure.

And then Stiles leaned forward, not looking away from Derek’s eyes as he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against Derek’s.

Derek instantly felt the kiss all over. And yeah, he was fucking screwed. He knew right then that he wouldn’t be able to let Stiles go, at least not without a fight. Because yeah, Derek was falling for this man, and falling hard.

Stiles deepened the kiss, moving to wrap his arms around Derek’s shoulders and tilting his head to the side to get a better angle. 

Derek moaned, pressing his lips harder against Stiles’, letting Stiles slip his tongue into his mouth as they slowly started to move back towards Derek’s bed.

Derek felt Stiles move his hands up to run through his hair and moaned again at the feeling, the kiss becoming heated and sloppy and wet, and so fucking _good._

Derek felt the back of his legs hit his bed and then they were tumbling onto it, the smacking sounds of their kisses and their heavy breathing the only sound filling the room.

Stiles moved his hands down under Derek’s shirt and trailed his fingers over his happy trail before moving up, up, up to his chest.

Derek himself moved his hands down to Stiles’ ass and squeezed. Stiles moaned and Derek flipped them over so that he was on top, and things were quickly escalating, and if Derek didn’t stop this soon, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop, to pull back.

But the ringing of Derek’s phone stopped it for him.

They both froze in the kiss for a long moment before Derek pulled back, and Stiles slowly opened his eyes, their heavy breaths mingling between them. 

“Fuck,” Derek whispered, sitting up and rolling off of Stiles to reach for the jeans he’d haphazardly threw off to the side when he’d been changing and reaching into a pocket and pulling out his cellphone. “Fucking fuck,” Derek cursed when the screen showed that it was his mother calling. Cora didn’t waste any time, did she?

Bracing himself, Derek answered the phone. “Hi, mom.”

“Derek.” Her tone was as cold as ice, and Derek knew right then that Cora had already told her, was probably already telling the rest of the family at that very moment. Derek winced, rolling onto his back. Stiles was already there, looking over at Derek worriedly. “Cora has just told me some interesting news. I hope it isn’t true.”

Derek looked over at Stiles, who took Derek’s hand once more and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, and if Derek wasn’t feeling so terrified, he’d have melted right then and there. 

And right then, looking into Stiles’ golden-brown eyes, Derek felt just enough courage to say, “Yeah, mom. It’s true.”

There was a long silence before all his mother said was, “The family will be over at ten o'clock tomorrow morning to discuss this. Goodbye.” And then she hung up. And that was that. Not goodnight. Goodbye. That told Derek everything he needed to know.

Sighing, Derek hung up and tossed his phone off to the side, looking at Stiles who was staring at Derek sadly. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Derek said, reaching up and being the one to cup Stiles’ face this time. 

Stiles blushed and leaned into his touch. “I’m still not going anywhere.”

“I know,” Derek smiled, pulling Stiles forward and kissing him softly on the lips.

“I should…” Stiles trailed off, gesturing to the door. “We should probably wait before we, you know." 

"I know,” Derek nodded. “We still have to have our first date.”

Stiles grinned, moving forward and kissing Derek. “You still want to go out?”

“Yeah, yeah I do." 

"But what if that changes after tomorrow?” Stiles bit his lip worriedly.

“It might,” Derek admitted. “But I feel confident right now. Because of you.”

Stiles smiled shyly, looking down at the comforter as his blush deepened. “Ah, well.”

“I’m happy you’re staying,” Derek murmured. “It means a lot to me.”

“Well, you mean a lot me, so,” Stiles shrugged, grinning and kissing Derek one more time before getting off the bed and heading towards the door. “See you in the morning." 

"See you,” Derek said with a small smile, and Stiles even blew Derek a kiss before he closed the door. Derek didn’t catch the imaginary kiss on principle, but felt warmth spread through his chest. Fuck, he was so done for. 

And yeah, tomorrow wouldn’t be pretty. And Derek would probably feel like complete shit after, and he probably won’t recover from it for some time. 

But he’d have Stiles by his side throughout all of it, no matter what.

And that’s all that really mattered.


	2. Part Two

Derek isn’t even able to go to the bathroom after waking up before there’s a loud, pounding knock on his front door.

Sucking in a deep, terrified breath, Derek looked over at the clock. Ten AM on the dot. His family was nothing if not punctual.

Derek quickly pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, running his hands through his hair. As he walked out of his room, he saw that Stiles was already awake on the couch, alert.

He stood up when Derek got close and walked over to him. Stiles laid a gentle, comforting hand on Derek’s shoulder. “I’ll be right-" 

Several consecutive loud knocks cut him off, along with Talia Hale’s sharp, clear voice. "Derek, open up." 

Derek felt shaky and scared as he walked to the door and opened it, Stiles trailing behind him. And there they are.

His mother stood front and center, with his father to her left and Laura to her right. Peter, Cora, his brother Matt, his Aunt Shelby and Uncle Tommy, his two cousins Diane and Ben, and his last living grandparent, Grandma Pearl, are standing behind them. 

It really was the whole family. 

He heard Stiles suck in a surprised breath behind him, and Derek wanted to tell him he didn’t have to stay if he didn’t want to, but he didn’t have the chance as his whole family barged past them, all of them shooting Derek and Stiles looks of disgust.

Derek had no choice but to follow. But Stiles didn’t. Taking him by the arm before he could, Derek leaned close to him and whispered, "Stiles, you really don’t have to stay. I can handle this.”

“I told you I would stay, so I’m staying,” Stiles said, determination in his voice. 

Derek sighed. Stiles really didn’t know what he was in for. “But -" 

"No,” Stiles shook his head. “I won’t let you deal with this alone.”

“Stiles-”

“Derek, get in here, now.” Talia’s voice rang through the apartment, and Derek flinched at her tone. 

Shutting the front door quickly, Derek rushed into the living room as quickly as he could without actually running, and was met with the harsh stares of his whole family.

His mother, who was standing by the fireplace, gestured to the open chair. “Sit." 

Derek swallowed past the lump in his throat and walked over to the chair, trying not to feel like he was walking to his death. He was just being overdramatic, right?

"You can leave.” Talia barely spared Stiles a glance as he walked into the living room.

“I don’t think I will,” Stiles said, walking over to the chair Derek had sat down in and sitting on the arm of it.

Derek’s whole family sucked in a breath when he did so. Talia directed her glare onto Stiles.

“This doesn’t concern you. Now leave.”

“No,” Stiles said simply, defiance etched into his every pore. “Because, you see, Derek is important to me. He matters to me. So what concerns him, concerns me. So I’m staying." 

Derek shifted uncomfortably in his seat, not liking the way his whole family was looking at Stiles like they wanted to squash him like he was a nasty bug. "Stiles, maybe you should -” Derek started in a murmur. 

“That’s okay, Derek. I’m fine,” Stiles said, shooting Derek a look. 

“We don’t want you here,” Cora said from her spot on the couch, with fire in her eyes as she glared at Stiles.

“Derek wants me here. Don’t you?” Stiles turned to Derek.

Every eye was on Derek and Derek tensed, shifted in his seat. He opened and closed his mouth a few times as he thought of what to say. Because yes, he did want Stiles there. So much. But he just didn’t want Stiles to get hurt by his family, as Derek knew he would be. Starting to panic with the way everyone was looking at him, Derek just blurted out. “Yes. I want him here.”

Stiles smiled softly at Derek, turning to the rest of his family. “See?" 

"Fine,” Talia said, her tone cold and harsh. “Stay, don’t stay. You are of no importance to us.”

Derek winced. Stiles only raised an eyebrow with a smirk on his face.

Talia turned to Derek. “Derek, you understand why we’re here, yes?”

“Yes,” Derek nodded.

“And you understand that this is an intervention, yes?”

“Yes." 

"You understand that we can not allow these impure thoughts you have to continue, yes?”

“Yes,” Derek said, his voice soft and resigned.

“Good,” Talia nodded. “Now, with that said, you will stop being gay right now. You will stop whatever it is you’ve done with this boy,” she gestures at Stiles, who raises an eyebrow “and you will come home with us right now, where we will set you up with a nice, appropriate woman for you to marry and have kids with, seeing as you can’t do it yourself." 

Derek finds himself nodding even as he starts to scream and cry internally at the same time. He feels numb, though. Too numb to say or do anything. Because this is his family, and they don’t accept who he is and think he has a choice in this. 

"What? No!” Stiles exclaims, standing up. “No he fucking won’t.”

“No one gave you permission to speak,” Talia snapped, her voice like a whip.

“I don’t fucking care,” Stiles said, to the shock of Derek’s family. Grandma Pearl gasped and clutched her pearls. “You can’t tell Derek what to do. He is a grown man, he can make his own choices. You don’t get to make them for him.”

“Boy, you need to learn when to hold you tongue,” Derek’s father said from where he stood off to the side. 

“Sorry, in my house we were actually allowed to speak our minds. What a crazy concept,” Stiles said with a careless wave of his hand. 

“Sit down, boy," Talia said with such fire in her voice that Stiles quieted, although he didn’t sit. “You need to learn your place.”

Stiles pursed his lips. “I won’t bend to your restricted rules and traditions. I wasn’t raised like that." 

"Pity,” Peter said from where he sat next to Cora, a bored looks on his face.

“Pity for you,” Stiles shot back. 

“What a useless little thing you are,” Peter said, a look of disdain on his face. 

“What a piece of horse shit you are,” Stiles said in a falsely sweet voice. 

Peter growled, actually managed to growl, before Talia said, “silence,” With a hand held up. 

Peter quieted, sat back. 

Derek didn’t move, barely breathed. Couldn’t think.

“You…” Talia said in a quiet, restrained voice as she looked at Stiles. “Are an abomination.”

Derek looked up at his mother at that, eyes wide and shocked. She thought…she thought Stiles was an abomination, and so thought Derek was, too.

His own mother though there was something wrong, something not right. Something despicable. Derek felt sick as he leaned forward in his seat holding his stomach.

Stiles only tilted his head as he regarded Talia. Then he said in just as quiet a voice as she had had, “You’re the one filled with such hate, such anger, so much so that you can’t love your son or anyone else like him just because he feels attraction for the same sex, and can’t even see how special Derek is, how amazing he is even though he has kissed a man, and I’m the abomination?” Stiles looked around, from face to face of the Hale family, an incredulous look on his face. “There is nothing wrong with Derek or me. We are people, we have feelings, we feel pain, we feel happiness. If you cut us, we bleed. Our sexual orientation matters as much about who we are as it does with straight people. Being gay is not all that we are. It doesn’t define us.”

“See what being liberal does to you,” Cora said with a snort. “We don’t need your stupid agenda.”

“We are human beings,” Stiles hissed, anger filling his face as he glared at Cora.

“Derek,” Talia cut across Cora’s reply. “Enough of this. Get rid of the toy and come home with us.”

“Toy?” Stiles said, his voice near a shout. “How dare you-”

“Enough of this,” Peter cut in. “Stop with the politics and the speeches, kid. We came here to tell Derek how it is, and what he can do to fix this nonsense, and then take him home. That is all. So shut up and get the fuck out of here. As Talia said, this doesn’t concern you, faggot.”

At that, it was like a switch had been turned on inside Derek, and before Stiles could reply, Derek shot out of his chair. “Stop. Just stop. I don’t want this. I never wanted any of this,” Derek cried, looked at all of his family and feeling heartbroken as he looked at their angry, hate-filled faces and knowing he would never feel their love or support again. 

“But I can’t help who I am. This isn’t a choice. I didn’t just wake up one day and decide I’d kiss a guy for the hell of it. I didn’t think ‘oh, I’ll just be gay from now on. The family will love that!’ I didn’t choose anything. I can’t help how I feel. I can’t help feeling attracted to men. I can’t help that I have feelings for Stiles! This isn’t a choice!” Derek felt tears slide down his cheeks, felt like he was going to crumble where he stood. But he had to go on, had to fight. Because it was all he had left. “I’m still Derek Hale, son of Talia and Ben Hale, resident of Beacon Hills, California. Cora, I’m still your bother.” Derek turned pleading eyes on Cora, whose face was twisted in anger and hate. “I’m still the guy who teased you about your crush on Billy Henderson in the second grade, I’m still the guy who warned your junior prom date that if he hurt you, he’d have to answer to me. I’m still your brother. And Laura, Matt, I’m still yours, too,” Derek sniffed as he wiped at the tears that he couldn’t seem to stop now that he’d let them start. “I promise. I’m still me.”

His words were met with complete silence as they all stared at him, except for Stiles who walked over to Derek and held out his hand, leaving the decision up to Derek.

When Derek looked up at Stiles, he was smiling softly at Derek, his brown eyes warm and happy. And Derek realized, right then and there, that he was going to lose his family, but he would gain Stiles, who already meant so much to Derek he couldn’t even think straight sometimes. And as long as he had Stiles, Derek would be okay. 

Letting out a shaky breath, Derek reached out and took Stiles’ hand in his, and he instantly felt better, as if Stiles’ hand was pumping comfort into his veins, under his skin.

“Derek.” It was Laura who spoke now, who had been quiet the whole time. Derek looked over at her as she stood up and walked over to stand in front of him.

Her face was softer than the others, and Derek thought, _maybe, just maybe._

But it didn’t happen. There was no hug or support. Instead, she slapped him hard across the face. Stiles gasped and took a step forward, but Derek squeezed his hand, silently telling him to leave it.

“You are no brother of mine,” Laura said, angry tears filling her eyes before she walked out of the living room. The slamming door was like a gunshot. 

There was a long, tense moment of silence before Talia turned blank, cold eyes on Derek. “Well, Derek? Are you coming with us?”

Derek could only shake his head. 

And that was that, apparently. That had been all they needed to know. And just like that, it was as if they didn’t know Derek, like he was a stranger as they all got up and headed toward the door as a group. They didn’t even utter one word as they left Derek and Stiles standing in the living room, hands clasped tightly together.

This time, the front door closed softly, gently, and that somehow felt worse than the door slamming.

It was done. 

And it hadn’t even been a full hour. Amazing. Before ten o'clock, Derek had had a family. It wasn’t even eleven o'clock and he no longer had one. 

Feeling all the energy drain out of him, Derek let go of Stiles’ hand and sank back down into the chair.

Stiles sighed, then moved forward kneel in front of Derek, taking Derek’s hands in his. “Will you be okay?”

“I don’t know,” Derek answered honestly. He hoped he would.

“Well, I’ll be here. No matter what,” Stiles promised, a small smile on his face.

And looking into Stiles’ earnest eyes, Derek believed him, felt himself smiling back, feeling hopeful.


End file.
